Hardware and Software of ipad-2

The iPad 2 runs on a 1GHz dual-core Apple A5 processor with 512MB of RAM, which Apple claims is twice as fast than the A4 in the iPad. The graphics have been upgraded from PowerVR SGX535 on the iPad to SGX543MP, which Apple claims is nine times faster than before. As usual, we would suggest you take these claims with a pinch of salt. However, there is no denying the fact that the hardware is considerably faster than before.

The iPad 2 works on GSM as well as CDMA networks and supports 3G connectivity on either. It also supports Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth v2.1 and A-GPS on the 3G models. It has built-in accelerometer, magnetometer and now also a gyroscope. It is available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities.

The iPad 2 also comes with two camera, the front one capable of stills as well as video in VGA resolution at 30FPS and the rear one can record stills in 960 x 720 resolution and videos in 1280 x 720 resolution at 30FPS.

Software-wise, nearly everything is identical, expect for certain apps that take advantage of the new hardware in iPad 2. There is the FaceTime app that lets you do video calls with other iPad 2, iPhone 4, iPod touch and Mac users over Wi-Fi. There is also the Photo Booth app that lets you take pictures with various effects. Then of course there is the camera app for taking photos and videos. The camera application is the same as the one on the iPhone 4 and the iPod touch, but isn't as easy to use.
 

The culprit is the camera shutter button that is placed awkwardly on the screen. No matter which orientation you hold the device, it is in the bottom left corner of the screen. This makes it difficult for you to access the button with your thumbs, especially in landscape mode, where you will have to use one hand to hold the device and other to press the shutter. Coming from Apple, which usually spends a lot of time honing the design of their applications, this ergonomics disaster comes as a real shock.
 

The last difference that we noticed was the iPad cover option we found in the menu. The item is only visible after you attach the cover for the first time. It lets you choose whether to lock/unlock the iPad 2 when you close/open the cover.